Freeing the Feline (8 page)

“Who’s there with you?” Clara asked again.

“No one at the moment. Where are you? When can we expect you back? I want to hear more about what you’ve found.”

“I’m not coming back for a while,” Clara said carefully.

“What do you mean? I just told you Thomas is missing. We need you back here. I need you back here. We’ll discuss what you’ve found out, find your uncle and figure out where to go from there.”

“I’ve found my mate,” Clara admitted, not willing to say anymore about finding Tah. And she really wanted Lydia to be happy for her. Clara needed a mother’s understanding right now, and Lydia was the closest thing to a mom she’d ever had. “I’m staying with him and his pride for right now.”

“There’s a whole pride with him? He’s a shifter? Is he where the sky awakens?” Clara didn’t answer, and Lydia seemed to grow more agitated. “Where are they located? I’ll come to you.”

“I found Amia,” Clara said softly as disappointment washed through her. No congratulations or I’m so happy for you from Lydia. So she’d fired back, just to see how Lydia would react, to see if the woman’s heart had softened at all when it came to her blood daughter.

“I told you to leave her alone!” Lydia cried out over the phone. “If you mated someone connected to her, you might as well have signed your death certificate. She’ll get you killed, Clara. I’ve warned you to let it be. You can’t save her.”

“Why? Why can’t Amia be good? What if she’s like you, Lydia? What if she defied the Blanes, as well?” It was an old argument, but Clara always expected a new answer from Lydia. She was always disappointed.

“Please, that girl is a Blane by blood. I married into that tribe of monsters. It’s different. Blood will always tell. She’s been a curse since she was born. I tried to keep her safe, keep her quiet, and look where that led. Your father dead and me running for my life.” Harsh words that Lydia hadn’t always uttered—not in the very beginning.

“None of that was her fault,” Clara reminded her. “She’s just as innocent in all of this as you were. You’re wrong about her. You’ve always been wrong about her. Open your eyes, Lydia. I told you, she saved my life. I owe her.”

“You owe her nothing. If you’d brought her back here like you wanted to, we’d probably all be dead.”

“Who else is there? Is Gideon there?”

Gideon had grown up with her dad and Uncle Thomas. He was the one normally in charge when her uncle left.

“Gideon took Ariel and Griffin to look for Thomas. I need you home now. I don’t care what you have going on. We need you here.”

“I’ve mated. You know what that means.”

“I don’t care,” Lydia screeched. “You’re my family. I need you. You have to come back from Colorado, now.”

Clara stilled and glanced at the phone. “How do you know where I am?”

“Just a guess,” Lydia said, her voice filled with quiet calm once more. “Come home to me,” she crooned.

“You’re tracing the call, aren’t you?” Clara asked, a little shocked that Lydia would do such a thing.

“Come home, Clara.”

“I am home,” Clara whispered and disconnected the call, cutting off whatever Lydia had been screaming on the other end.

Nothing made sense. Uncle Thomas was gone and hadn’t checked in? It seemed logical that Gideon would go after her uncle if he’d been gone too long. But Gideon wouldn’t have taken anyone with him. He was very much a lone shifter. He skirted the edges of their makeshift pride, never fully joining. So why would he take Ariel and Griffin with him? Ariel especially. Gideon was all about protecting the females of the pride. He wouldn’t take Ariel with him…unless he thought there was danger.

Dread filled her. Where was Logan? She really needed Logan right now. God, she needed to leave. She needed to go find her Uncle Thomas or even Gideon at this point. She just needed to find out what the hell was going on. She tried the door and found it unlocked this time. Did Logan leave it that way on purpose? Was he waiting for her to join him in his room? What was she supposed to do? God, she couldn’t focus.

She shook from the surge of adrenaline coursing through her. There was no way she was going to be able to stay cooped up. She grabbed her ripped shirt from the door and pulled it on backwards so it was opened in the back. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, then took a tentative step into the hall. When no alarms went off and no one stepped out to stop her, she ventured farther, going to the room she knew was Logan’s. The door was open, but he wasn’t inside. She glanced toward the stairs she knew led to the main level. Where the fuck was her mate? Their connection wasn’t completely formed yet. It would take a little bit longer before she’d be able to sense him and locate him by those feelings. She’d just have to grab one of his shirts and see if she could find him.

Logan found Reno, Amia, Vic and Tah crowded in the control room. There was no mistaking Clara’s voice as she spoke to someone on the phone. But what phone? He hadn’t taken her his phone yet. Then it clicked in his head. Clara had told him Amia had left her phone in the room when she’d gone up to talk to Clara.

“You set her up,” he accused Amia, but her face was chalk white and she wasn’t paying attention to him, so he turned to Tah. “What the fuck, man? This is the way we treat mates now?”

“You’ve mated with her then?” Reno asked, though Logan could see he was keeping an eye on Amia.

“Yes,” Logan said. “She asked if she could make a phone call, even admitted Amia had left her phone behind. I didn’t think it would be an issue.” Okay, so he hadn’t known she was going to make the call while he was gone. But he trusted her. She’d felt the need to call her uncle now instead of waiting. But that was a woman’s voice on the phone talking to Clara.

“Who is that?” Logan asked.

“My mother,” Amia whispered so low Logan had to strain to hear. “She’s talking to my mother.” And just like that Amia went down.

Reno roared and shoved his way to her, sweeping her up from the floor where she’d crumpled and curling her against his chest. He turned to glare at Logan before turning to Tah.

“We’ll talk later.” With that he whisked Amia away.

“Amia’s mom is alive?” Logan asked.

Tah stared hard at him. “It’s your mate talking to her. Shit, we knew Clara was keeping something from us, but this? She should have told Amia.”

“And when did you give her a chance? Any of you? When you were roaring at her in that meeting you held? The one where everyone in the goddamn room was sided against her? When you had her locked in a room for a week? You went to talk to her then, didn’t you? Gave her a chance to talk? No, that’s right. You didn’t give a fuck about her. So when was she supposed to tell any of you a damn thing?”

“Stand down, Logan. Amia’s reeling to the point she just passed the fuck out. I’m sure hearing her mother’s voice was the last thing she expected when she left that phone for Clara. Amia’s upset right now which means Reno’s upset, as well. What a fucking mess!”

The conversation began playing again, and Logan realized they’d recorded it. He might not have soaked in all that was said, but he had heard one thing loud and clear. She’d told the woman she was talking to, Amia’s mom, that she was home. She’d found her mate, and she was home. That was all he cared about at the moment. He turned angry eyes back on Tah.

“Then I guess Amia shouldn’t have pretended to be friendly with Clara only to set her up. Clara gave you the information you needed to help Abby and probably saved your mate’s life. And this is how you all repay her.”

“Logan—”

“No.” Logan cut Tah off, slashing his hand through the air. “Amia’s upset which means Reno’s upset? Really? Are those the words you just uttered to me? Well, guess what? I’ve been trying to convince my mate that she has nothing to worry about now that we’re mated, that you’ll all accept her the way I do. I told her you’d give her a chance and be okay with her calling her pride. Guess I was fucking wrong on both accounts. How about this? My mate is uncertain, and now, I am, too.” Logan shook his head in disgust. “I never thought we’d be the type of pride that gave one mate preference over another. And I never anticipated feeling second best to Reno.”

“Logan…” Tah started again but trailed off as Logan just shook his head again.

“Your words said it all.” Logan looked toward the door and found Clara standing there. He wasn’t sure how much she’d heard, but her eyes said she’d caught the gist of it. He turned and walked to Clara, taking her hand and linking their fingers. “I’m taking Clara to find her things. We’ll be back later.”

“Logan, don’t,” Tah said. It wasn’t an order. It was a plea from a friend, from someone Logan thought of as a brother, which meant the pain Logan was feeling was raw and cut deep.

“Reno’s upset,” Logan said. “You’d better go check on him.”

He tugged Clara with him from the room and headed down the hall toward the front door. He needed air.

“Logan.” Clara whispered his name as they walked away from the house toward the woods.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I can feel your pain. Your heart is crying.” She stepped in front of him, blocking his path and forcing him to look at her.

He gritted his teeth against the surge of anger he felt when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. Once again, his mate was in tears. It tore him up to see her this way.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Logan. If I’d know this would happen, I’d…”

“You’d what? You’d have continued to try and deny me as your mate?”

She nodded her head slowly. “I’m tearing you apart.”

Funny how she echoed exactly what he was feeling. Only it wasn’t her actions tearing him apart, but the wash of emotion staining her cheeks.

“No, you’re not,” he said, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight against him. “None of this is on you. Tah said what he said. Only he can own the words he spoke. That’s on no one else.”

“Finding your mate is supposed to be a joyous occasion, a celebration.”

“It can be. It will be. I promise, Clara. We’ll be okay.”

“I’m not sure of that,” she countered.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly realizing what he was feeling wasn’t all him. Some of it was her feelings bleeding into him.

“Something’s wrong, Logan. My Uncle Thomas is missing. Lydia said he left her in charge, but it doesn’t feel right. He’d never leave her in charge.”

“Your uncle doesn’t trust her?”

Clara shook her head.

“Why would he keep her around then?”

“Because my dad sent her to us. He wouldn’t have done that for just anyone.”

“I can’t wrap my head around all this. Amia’s mom has been with you?”

“It’s a long story, and I’d rather tell it once. I get the feeling my phone call has earned me another inquisition.”

“I’ll be right beside you the whole time. I’ll say it as many times as it takes to sink in. You will never stand alone again.”

“I don’t want to tear you apart. That’s not what mates do.”

“And I’ve already told you. None of this is your fault. Whatever choices Tah makes, we’ll face it together.”

“I think I’m going to love you,” Clara whispered.

“I think we’re going to love each other,” Logan answered and bent to brush his lips over hers.

It was an odd thing to have his heart so filled with love for a woman while at the same time being ripped apart over what was happening with his two best friends. God help them, they needed to be sticking together, not doing this. He gripped Clara’s fingers and started walking again. He really hoped this new beginning didn’t portend of another relationship ending.

* * * *

“We should call for help,” Zane said again as he and Murphy sat in the Jeep. “We have no idea who has Finn or why. We could be walking into a trap. And what then?”

“That’s why I’m going in after him alone when we do find him,” Murphy said.

“The hell you are,” Zane grunted, glaring at Murphy in challenge. “How the fuck do you plan to stop me from going with you?”

“I don’t want to fight you, Zane.”

Zane laughed. “Good thing. I’m fully in touch with my panther. I can summon his strength in this form, as well. You wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”

Murphy just looked at him, and once again Zane wondered what the other man held inside him. Something was blocking Zane from being able to scent it or pick up on any trait signs of it. Murphy was either very good, or someone or something was protecting him. What? Or who?

“Tell me about your family,” Zane said. “You said Finn left with you when you were forced to go.”

Murphy sighed, scrubbed a hand over his face, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Zane could see he was bone-weary but wasn’t sure if it was from their lack of rest or Murphy’s connection with Finn. Whoever had Finn must have tortured him most of the night. Murphy had been a mess of pain, yet somehow managed to keep his focus on finding his brother. Unfortunately, they had little idea of where to search now, just the feelings that Murphy was getting from Finn. Whoever had him was good at covering their trail.

“My dad,” Murphy finally said. “It near broke him when he came home and found mum. He blamed me and rightly so. If she’d no been protecting me, she’d still be alive.”

“You don’t know that,” Zane countered, letting his anger show through. “People die.”

“They were there looking for me,” Murphy explained. “I musta been careless and let m’self be seen at some point.”

“Or someone else blabbed about what you were,” Zane suggested.

Murphy shook his head. “No. I can’t believe anyone would do that.”

“You’d be surprised what people will do for the right amount.”

“We left our dad, two brothers, and…and a sister behind. I can’t believe any one of them would want that to happen. Our mum died!” Murphy rubbed his chest again as he spoke.

“Still hurting?” Zane asked.

“Just an ache. They must be giving him a break this morning. I feel more of a numbness filtering through me now than any kind of pain.”

“Numbness?” Zane asked and felt a chill of foreboding go through him. “Fuck, Murphy, that’s not good. We need to find him now. Right the fuck now.”